5 Ways to Get More Raw Foods in Your Diet

We are hearing more and more about the benefits of including more raw foods, specifically fruits and vegetables, into your diet. Here are some suggestions for incorporating more raw foods in your daily meals.

Start with breakfast!

Do you remember your mother telling you “breakfast is the most important meal of the day?” I’m not sure of the reasoning behind that statement, but you do want to get your day started right. Try having some fresh fruit, muesli or a tasty fruit smoothie for breakfast. Breakfast gets your day started out right, so you want to pack it with some great nutritional and delicious foods.

Lunchtime

For lunch, try a fresh green salad and an apple. Your salad can include lots of fresh raw veggies like carrots, cucumbers, onions, broccoli and any others. At lunch, many times you need a “pick me up.” You’re halfway through your workday and feeling the need for a little energy boost. Having some raw veggies can do just that.

Snack time

Do you get hungry mid-afternoon and reach for a snack? Instead of a candy or granola bar, try some raw nuts for a great protein lift. A mixture of almonds, walnuts and raisins make a nice trail mix. Pack some celery stick and peanut butter or carrots sticks to quiet that craving.

Dinnertime

Dinnertime can be the most challenging meal to get lots of raw food. Most people are hungry after a full day of work and want to eat something a little heavier. Try to have at least one raw food with dinner. You can include a fresh green salad with whatever else you’re having, and eat at least part of your meal raw. A salad goes with just about any other dish, so it’s an easy way to bring in more raw foods. Try grating raw veggies to make your salad moist and increase its nutrition. Zucchini, carrots, cucumbers, jicama and radishes all make great ingredients. Need a raw side dish? Try gazpacho!

Other ways to eat raw

Juicing is another way to add raw fruits and vegetables to your diet. By juicing once or twice a day, you can add a powerhouse of nutrients while making it easy to consume a large amount of raw foods. Juice enough in the morning that you can drink it when you’re feeling hungry throughout the day.

The more you eat raw foods, the easier you will find it to add more and more in. It may take some time to change your current diet, but start by adding in raw foods to one of your meals. You may find, after some time, that you want to actually replace some of your current selections with raw foods. Start slowly and build from there.

While you’re chopping up all those vegetables (especially tomatoes,) wear one of our beautiful aprons to keep your clothes as fresh as those fruits and veggies! Browse our wonderful selection of aprons for women.

When Laurie Neumann isn’t blogging, she’s cooking, and when she’s not cooking she’s creating a variety of beautiful aprons for all occasions. See her work at www.apronsforwomenonline.com